A Preliminary Report on the Effects of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury on Spatial Attention

Scott Sinnett, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Ahnate Lim, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Jeremy Thacker, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Abstract

The objective of this investigation was to measure subtle
disturbances in information processing after mild traumatic brain injury (TBI)
for spatially presented stimuli as compared to a sample of control participants.
Participants completed a temporal order judgment task requiring the correct
identification of the order of two asynchronously presented stimuli that were
precued either by a peripheral or central cue. Point of subjective simultaneity
(PSS) scores demonstrated a dissociation in spatial attentional control.
Specifically, deficits for the group with mild TBI were observed for peripheral
cues, while volitional attentional control during the centrally cued task was
spared, when compared with controls. These data suggest that peripheral
distraction strongly captures attention, possibly making disengagement from that
location difficult, whereas directed and volitional control over attention is
largely spared, as indicated by indistinguishable PSS scores when compared with
healthy controls after central cues.